2012 Division III football playoffs

December 15, 2012In Salem, the drama is backMount Union, following its first championship since 2008 but 11th overall, may be starting another purple reign that lasts several seasons. But they are not without a handful of legitimate challengers.

December 15, 2012St. Thomas unfazed in first trip to SalemStarting seven freshmen and sophomores on offense; losing their leading rusher; making the program’s first Stagg Bowl appearance. Nothing fazed St. Thomas.

December 14, 2012Mount Union seniors get their championshipThe St. Thomas defense could only hold the Purple Raiders down so long, as Mount Union scored twice in the final 16:04 in order to seal the deal with a 28-10 victory.

December 13, 2012Purple Raiders loosen up for title runAfter three straight years of coming up short in the final game, Mount Union and coach Larry Kehres are having more fun in 2012. A Road to Salem feature.

December 12, 2012UST aims to be known as OL U"A lot of people thought I was crazy,” said Glenn Caruso, a former center at Ithaca. “I told anyone who was willing to listen that we were going to build this program around the offensive line." A Road to Salem feature.

December 11, 2012Offensive line paves Mount's road to SalemWith so many Mount Union stars, it can be easy to forget five of its most important starters: The offensive line. Brian Lester has more in a Road to Salem feature.

December 11, 2012Behind the Tommies' riseFive years ago, St. Thomas had bottomed out. But then the school hired a coach from Macalester and woke the sleeping giant that was Tommie football. Glenn Caruso talks about his team and the dream.

December 11, 20122012 Gagliardi Trophy ceremonyThe official 2012 Gagliardi Trophy announcement will take place Wednesday night, Dec. 12, with the broadcast slated to begin at 7:45 p.m. ET.

December 10, 2012Around the Nation podcastDid Kevin Burke thrive in his trial by fire? Could St. Thomas one day be a Purple Power? Was that Jasper Collins' best game? Who's the Gagliardi Trophy favorites? That and more in our podcast.

December 9, 2012The postgame showHere's your Division III football postgame show: D3reports, highlights and postgame interviews from the national semifinals.

December 8, 2012Mount Union books return trip to SalemThe Purple Raiders had to rally, scoring 34 points in the fourth quarter and taking the lead with five seconds left in a 48-35 win against Mary Hardin-Baylor.

December 6, 2012Semifinal QBs a fearsome foursomeTwo are seniors, two are sophomores. None has ever started a national semifinal, and all bring a different set of skills to Saturday's game. More in a Road to Salem feature by Adam Turer.

December 6, 2012The secret of the Tommies' success"Third down is our fourth down," St. Thomas defensive lineman Ayo Idowu said. "It means we want an automatic punt." More about the veteran Tommies D in a Road to Salem feature.

December 6, 2012UW-Oshkosh lives in the nowFalling behind by at least 10 points in three playoff wins hasn't fazed the Titans, who are candid about using a loss to UW-La Crosse last year as motivation for a semifinal run that's still surprising them.

December 5, 2012There's a big D in DriskillMount Union's seniors don't want to be the first class in 20 years to leave without a title, and the defense, led by Nick Driskill, is looking to make sure that doesn't happen. A Road to Salem feature.

December 1, 2012Oshkosh breaks up a pack of purpleUW-Oshkosh continues its first-ever playoff run, moving to the semis with a comeback win in OT at Linfield. Mount Union, UMHB and St. Thomas all advance as well.

November 30, 2012Triple Take: We predict the scoresThere's just four games left, so not only do Ryan, Keith and Pat give their take on the score, plus a breakdown of why. That's in this week's Triple Take. Share your score predictions as well!

November 30, 2012On Linfield's journey, it's all secondaryLinfield's defensive backfield is a big reason why the Wildcats are appreciating another week of playing together. A Road to Salem feature by Keith McMillan.

November 29, 2012A hole on the rosterWhen Wesley travels to UMHB, they'll leave an empty roster spot for linebacker Kirk Brooks, who's spending Friday seeing doctors about his recent lymphoma diagnosis. More in a Road to Salem feature.

November 28, 2012Hobart, St. Thomas use similar formulaThey've got differences, sure. But when it comes to Saturday's clash in Minnesota, both Hobart and St. Thomas will try to win by running the ball and playing stout defense.

November 28, 2012Inside the 'D' at UWOA summer ago, Ryan Stefaniak and UW-Oshkosh were on the outside looking in. But Stefaniak got a late position change in 2011 and his team had a change of fortune in 2011 and 2012. More in a Road to Salem feature.

November 28, 2012South's beasts meet againAfter six meetings in seven postseasons and a regular-season meeting to boot, it seems there's nothing Mary Hardin-Baylor and Wesley can do to surprise the other. A Road to Salem feature.

November 27, 2012He's in it for the long runThe ballcarrier ran into a pile at the line of scrimmage, but bounced it to the outside ... and it got more interesting from there. It's the Play of the Week, sponsored by the City of Salem.

November 27, 2012Junior's spectacular senior seasonMount Union's Jasper (Junior) Collins has always had the talent, but at least some of his development is a credit to a man who will be on the opposing sideline: his uncle, Widener coach Isaac Collins.

November 26, 2012Around the Nation podcastPat and Keith break down the second round of the playoffs and give their strengths and weaknesses for each of the eight remaining teams. Plus, John Gagliardi remembered.

November 20, 2012Doing the little things rightFootball is a game of inches, not yards. Franklin knows it can't make mistakes when playing Mary Hardin-Baylor, because it has learned that from playing Mount Union and UW-Whitewater. A Road to Salem feature.

November 20, 2012For Wittenberg, it's win or elseOvercoming a 22-point deficit in the playoffs, against an OAC opponent on the road no less, is no easy task, but Wittenberg has been in refuse-to-lose mode since losing to Wabash. Plus more playoff features.

November 19, 2012Around the Nation podcastAround the Nation goes around the bracket, as Keith and Pat discuss every game, including the surprises everyone except the AFCA saw coming and the one that caught us by surprise, too.

November 18, 2012Last Wara brother lifts OshkoshNate Wara is the fourth Wara brother to play for UW-Oshkosh and the second to play quarterback. But he's the first to get the Titans into the playoffs. A Road to Salem feature.

November 17, 2012Wittenberg posts huge first-round rallyWittenberg put Heidelberg away after being down 18. Mount Union had little trouble and five road teams won first-round games on Saturday. The full wrapup and updated bracket.

November 16, 2012Triple Take: We predict the scoresWhen playoff time rolls around, it isn't enough to just pick which are the big games. Because, you know, they're all pretty big. So our Triple Take crew goes further and predicts scores of each game.

November 15, 2012Playoff picks, surprises, disappointmentsIt's our annual ATN predictions column, where we say who will surprise and disappoint on the road to Salem. Will anyone score on Mount Union? Does anyone pick against UMHB? Read on.

November 14, 2012Try your hand at the bracket challenge!Our friends at d3photography.com are hosting another bracket challenge for Division III football fans. Pick your bracket between now and Saturday at noon ET!

November 12, 2012Around the Nation podcastKeith and Pat discuss the 2012 Division III football playoff bracket, following Pat's interview with committee chair Brad Bankston. Who are the great stories? Who might pull off an upset? That and more.

November 11, 2012Playoff bracket released!Who will be Mount Union's biggest challenge on the way to Salem? What is the toughest bracket? Who got in despite our projection? Take a look.

November 11, 2012Committee chair answers questionsWe know you have plenty of questions about how teams were chosen for the Division III playoffs and why. Committee chair Brad Bankston gives D3football.com as many answers as he can.

November 11, 2012Final playoff projectionAll the games are in and all of the numbers have been updated, but the hard work is interpreting them all and choosing what's right for the 2012 playoffs.

November 10, 2012Bracketology: Who we think is in, and whyAll of the scores are in and the numbers have been crunched. And as a crazy season ended in a crazy way, the NCAA committee has an interesting decision to make for Sunday's selection show.

November 9, 2012Projected playoff bracketLast week's results shuffled the regional rankings and they shuffle this projection as well. Where might your team be headed?

November 7, 2012A look at the at-large bidsOn our podcast Monday morning, we talked about the 16 or 17 candidates for the seven at-large bids. Keith McMillan breaks them down for you as we await this week's regional rankings.

November 5, 2012Around the Nation podcastWe're coming down to the final week, with a bunch of teams in contention. Here's how we think they might line up, with an explanation of how the selection process works.

November 5, 2012Heading for Selection SundayHere's what you need to know to get through the next seven days as a Division III football fan, including date and time of the NCAA's selection show.

November 2, 2012Projected playoff bracketThe season doesn't end today. But that's the way you have to do a playoff projection, so that's what we've got. Take a look at who we think would be in and where they might play.

October 31, 2012First NCAA regional rankingsThe first NCAA regional rankings have been released, and some two-loss teams are in a surprisingly strong position. Check out the full list.

October 25, 2012Division III football championships handbookThis handbook is no longer publicly available on the NCAA website. However, we've posted it here for your use. It does contain errors and we have contacted the NCAA about the inconsistency: There are seven Pool C bids this year.